Sports
Hockey

Top-ranked Sting down Hounds

SARNIA – The Soo Greyhounds had their chances to end the longest winning streak in the OHL on Friday.

Sarnia Sting goalie Justin Fazio made sure they didn’t.

The Sarnia native made 46 saves as the Sting won 6-3 for their 12th consecutive victory in front of a season-high 4,046 fans at Progressive Auto Sales Arena.

“It’s amazing, especially being from here,” Fazio said about the crowd. “When this building gets packed like that, it’s a special atmosphere, and it always has been like that. It’s special, especially this early in the season to have a packed building like that.”

Sting captain Jordan Kyrou had his second hat trick in four games as the No. 1-ranked team in the CHL improved to 13-1-0-0.

The Sting led only 4-3 early in the third period when the Greyhounds failed to score on a long two-man power play.

That proved costly when the Sting quickly replied with two power-play goals, including one on a two-man advantage.

“We played a really, really good third period when the game was on the line,” Sting head coach Derian Hatcher said. “And our power play picked it up in the third period as well.”

Matthew Villalta made 25 saves for the Greyhounds, who are sixth in the latest CHL rankings.

The Greyhounds twice tied the score, but they never led despite outshooting the Sting.

“We looked flat at a few points in the game, but I felt once we got our legs going and started asserting our game on them that you could see it,” Hatcher said. “I know Faz had a lot of stops and held us in there and we scored on some of our opportunities.”

He credited the Greyhounds with playing well when the Sting weren’t.

“At times we just kind of looked like we were standing instead of moving,” Hatcher said. “We want to play a fast game. And I think Soo did a great job at times.”

Sean Josling of the Sting opened the scoring 31 seconds into the game, but the Greyhounds quieted the crowd by controlling the play for the next 10 minutes.

The Greyhounds drew even on Morgan Frost’s goal at 10:15.

Kyrou restored the Sting’s lead with a breakaway goal 2:29 into the second period.

The Greyhounds again answered when Conor Timmins scored his first of the season at 13:33.

Adam Ruzicka put the Sting ahead 3-2 on a power play, then Kyrou beat the clock by scoring on a wrister from the right circle with two-10ths of a second left in the period.

Captain Tim Gettinger cut the Greyhounds’ deficit to one 1:38 into the third.

After they failed to get even, Kyrou completed his hat trick at 6:38 by scoring from the slot only four seconds into a two-man power play.

The Sting were still on the power play when defenceman Connor Schlichting waited until Villalta was down and flicked the puck over him for his second goal of the season.